Chess Strategy 101: Getting Started for Beginners
Beginners who are playing their first few games often look down at the board and wonder, what the heck am I supposed to do with all these pieces? If you ever find yourself in this position, then this article is for you.
The Relative Power of the Pieces
Each piece has a different level of power on the chess board. Certain pieces are generally better than others. The pieces given values to show their worth:
- Pawn = 1 Point
- Knight = 3 Points
- Bishop = 3 Points
- Rook = 5 Points
- Queen = 9 Points
Note: the King is not given a value, because he can't be captured, only checkmated.
The piece values can be a guide in determining which side has the advantage. If one player has more points than the other player, he has an advantage in material (with all else being equal, he is probably winning).
The values can also be used to evaluate trades. For example:
- The Rook is better than the Bishop or Knight.
- 2 Bishops or Knights are worth more than 1 Rook.
- A Bishop or Knight is worth 3 Pawns.
What Moves to Make at the Start of the Game
During the initial moves (known as the opening), you have three goals:
- Develop pieces.
- Control the centre.
- Protect the King.
Let's take a look at each of these concepts by examining some opening moves. To keep things simple and focus on the concepts, we'll ignore black's pieces for now. In a real game, you would have to carefully consider what your opponent does before each move.
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As white, one of the best opening moves is to advance the Pawn in front of your King forward 2 squares (e4 in chess notation). This move is excellent because:
- It opens lines to allow the Kingside Bishop and Queen to move off their starting squares (this is development).
- It helps control the centre by occupying it with a pawn.
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A great second move is to bring out your Kingside Knight (Nf3 in chess notation). This is a developing move, because the Knight comes off its original square into the action. The Knight also helps to control the centre, because it attacks two key centre squares.
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A great third move is to bring out your Kingside Bishop (Bc4 in chess notation). This is a developing move, because the Bishop comes off its original square. The Bishop also helps to control the centre from its new position.
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A great fourth move is to castle (O-O in chess notation). This move fulfills the goal of protecting the King in the opening. It also has the benefit of developing the Rook, by bringing it out of the corner.